And one-fourth to william



W. H. SMITH.

DETACHABLE BAG CLASP.

APPLICATION FILED. OCT. I3, 1919.

1,330,769. Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

UTE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM I-IYBAM SMITH, 0F I-IALLfiS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOUBIHTO WILLIAM W. CRAIG, 0F RIPLEY, TENNESSEE, AND ONE-FOURTH 'IO -WILLIAM N. BEASLEY, OF HALLS, TENNESSEE.

DETAGHABLE BAG-CLASP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1920.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Halls, in the county of Lauderdale and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Detachable Bag- Clasps; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The present invention relates to improveinents in detachable bag clasps, and has for an object to provide an improved claspthat may be engaged and disengaged with the bag it is intended to support quickly and with the greatest convenience to the opera tive.

It is another object of the present invention to provide an improved device of the above character in which the clasp will have improved holding qualities, and will be of such a character as to bind upon the bag in several directions which will prevent the clasp from slipping or gripping about the mouth of the bag.

The improved clasp will be found particularly useful for supporting cotton pickers sacks, althouglnof course, the invention is not restricted to this use.

The invention will be more particularly understood after reference to the accom panying drawings, in which like parts are indicated by similar reference symbols throughout the several views, and in which Figure 1 shows a perspective View of a cotton pickers sack with the improved clasp applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the bag sling showing the improved clasp in opened condition.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view through Fig. 2, showing the clasp in the opened position, and with a portion of the bag indicated in dotted lines showing the method of application; and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the clasp in the closed condition about the portion of the bag.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 1 indicates a cotton pickers or other bag having the upper reinforced edge 2;

and 3 designates a sling or strap which goes about the shoulder of the wearer to support the bag 1.

In each end of the sling or strap 3, loops 4 are made by means of the usual adjusting device 5, which are movable longitudinally of the sling or strap, and which adjust the length thereof to accommodate persons .of different size in the usual way.

The improved detachable. bag clasp is mounted in each of the loops 4 and .is arranged to be engaged with the bag. The clasp consists of a rectangular open frame or holding member 6, having at its upper side a pair of spaced bars disposed inwardly of the ends of the rectangular frame 6 and. connecting with an upper plate 8 having an elongated slot 9 therein, through which the loop 1 is passed. The side bars 7 are each perforated to receive pivot-pins or trunnions 10, which are adapted to support a pair of bars 11, which carry at their lower ends a second rectangular frame or gripping member 12, of a size smaller thanthe first mentioned frame 6, whereby the second frame 12 may swing on the trunnions -10 entirely within the first frame 6.

The inner edges of the frame 6 are on all sides beveled, as indicated at 13, anda corresponding bevel 14 is made entirely around the smaller second rectangular swinging frame 12; the bevel portions of the two frames being made to correspond so that when the swinging frame 12 is made to enter the larger stationary frame 6 such bevel portions will lie in close proximity, leaving only a very small space therebetween, which is intended to be occupied by portions of the bag 1 which are to be clamped therebetween.

The clasp attached to the bag is shown in Fig. 1, and the method of application will be apparent from Figs. 3 and 4. In Fig. 3 the swinging frame 12 is first raised to the open position shown, and the upper edge 2 of the bag is drawn through the open frame 6 from the left hand dotted line position to the position shown by the dotted lines toward the right. The swinging frame 12 is then moved down about the trunnions 10 until it occupies the position shown in Fig. 4, where the two bevel portions 13 and 14 of the two frames are brought together on the sack 1. At the same time that the swinging frame 12 is being moved within the stationary frame 6, the edge 2 of of the bag may be pulled upon from opposite sides of the clasp in a circumferential direction so that the edge 2 within the clasp may lie flat against the outer face of the swinging frame 12, as appears in Figs. 1 and 4:.

It will be seen that when the clasp is thus applied, the same forms a substantial Z- shaped bight in the portions of the mouth of the bag engaged by the clasp, and this bight is formed on three sides so that not only is the buckle prevented from escaping from the bag by pulls made in a direction parallel to the axis of the bag, but also the clasp is prevented from creeping or slipping circumferentially about the mouth of the bag, which is also important in properly holding the mouth of the sack open for cotton pickers use.

In some cases the upper edge 2 of the bag may also be looped over the upper portion of the frame 12 at opposite sides of the bars 11, in which case an additional sustaining effect is had.

The bevel portions of the two frames 6 and 12 are important, in that strain on the bag tends to draw the swinging frame 12 more forcibly against the bevel edges 13 of the stationary frame, and the two bights 15 and 16 formed in the bag at opposite sides of the clasp are offset, and in case one of the bights may be inclined to slip the other bight will effectually prevent such slipping action.

It will be obvious that various m0difications might be made in the herein described construction, and in the combination and arrangement of parts which could be used without departing from the spirit of my invention; and I do not mean to limit the invention to such details except as particularly pointed out in the claims.

.ent of the United States is 1. A clasp of the character described, comprising an outer frame provided at one end with a head adapted to be attached to a strap, and provided near the opposite end with a rectangular holding member, said head and said holding member being connected together by side bars, spaced apart to form a contracted throat, and set substantially at right angles to the adjacent side of said holding member, and a gripping member rectangular in shape and provided with a heel pivoted to said first-mentioned frame and projecting into the space between said side bars and having shoulders projecting laterally from said heel, said gripping member and said shoulders registering with the adjacent faces of said holding member when the clasp is in the operative position, substantially as described.

2. A clasp of the character described, comprising an outer frame provided at one end with a head adapted to be attached to a strap, and provided near the opposite end with a rectangular holding member, said head and said holding member being connected together by side bars, spaced apart to form a contracted throat, and set substantially at right angles to the adjacent side of said holding member, and a gripping member rectangular in shape and provided with a heel pivoted to said first-mentioned frame and projecting into the space between said side bars and having shoulders projecting laterally from said heel, said gripping member and said shoulders registering with the adjacent faces of said holding member when the clasp is in the operative position, and the coacting faces of both the holding member and the gripping member being beveled, substantially as described.

WILLIAM HYRAM SMITH. 

